The Successful
Stuttering
Management
Program (SSMP)
Jean Spreitzer and Cortney Sorge
How would this approach be
classified?
This is an integrated approach. A
fluency shaping approach is used by
teaching light contacts and
prolongations. Sessions eight and nine
focus on prolongations and using a gentle
onset of phonation. A stuttering
modification approach is also integrated
by teaching cancellations and pull-outs
during sessions ten and eleven.
What is/are the underlying
theoretical rationale(s)?
Stuttering is a unique communication disorder and
it cannot be cured. The people who stutter can,
however, learn to manage his/her stuttering and
speech so that he/she can communicate as a
person who stutters in any situation without undue
stress and strain to themselves or their listener.
The clinician will guide and execute the program,
but it is the responsibility of the people who
stutter to accept, not only the fact that they
stutter, but also the responsibility for changing
their way of communicating to one that is much
more socially acceptable.
What is the style of
presentation of therapy?
For this program, group therapy has more
advantages, but it is possible to use with a
single client. This is an intensive program
that schedules sessions as often as
possible. Sessions are designed for a 21/2 – 3 hour period and should be
scheduled a minimum of twice a week or
half sessions four times a week; A total of
seventeen sessions.
How is success defined and
measured?
Success is measured through selfperceptions and perceptions of others
(clinician & other group members) of how
successfully the individual manages his/her
stuttering at the end of the program.
Individuals are videotaped at the beginning
and end of the program. The person who
stutters evaluates themselves through a
therapy evaluation questionnaire.
How are generalization and
maintenance addressed?
Generalization is addressed in many ways:
Homework assignments are given in order to
“take the therapy into the real world.”
The client uses the telephone during one of
the sessions
A shopping mall excursion is planned in order
to encounter as many speaking situations as
possible in the “real world.”
An outside transfer day is also planned in
order to give the individual more experience in
“real world” situations.
Maintenance is addressed by completing an
after therapy maintenance program with
the help of the clinician. The person who
stutters is to assign themselves specific
situations and determine what they will do
with their speech. The form is organized
into weeks and days. At the end of each
week a task is required by the person who
stutters to call either the clinician or
others in the group and practice a certain
technique. At the end of two months a
“reunion” is scheduled for the clinician and
the group members.
What are the program’s strong
points?
Provides the person who stutters with tools to control
their speech
Realistic in that it is not a “cure” for stuttering
Includes reproducible therapy handouts
Includes reward techniques and reinforcers
Includes encouragement tips for families and friends
Can be used in a variety of settings: schools, hospitals,
clinics, privately
A follow-up program to assist with maintaining and
improvement
Is available as a package program or as a summer
program through Eastern Washington University
Can be used for individual or group therapy
What are some weaknesses?
Individuals must be able to commit to an
intensive program that requires a lot of
time and commitment
Expensive summer program through the
university - $800 (diagnostic & therapy) +
$750 (room & board)
Very competitive admission into the
University’s summer program (only 10
accepted)
No evidence to support success
Would you recommend using
this approach?
Yes, because it is a realistic program that
gives the person who stutters tools that
they can use in and out of therapy to
modify their speech. It generalizes these
tools and techniques into “real life”
situations through practice with the
clinician. It is also very versatile in that it
can be used in group or individual therapy
and in different settings (hospital, home,
school, etc.). We found this program to be
well organized and easy to follow as a
clinician, making it easy to implement into
therapy.
Is there any data regarding
the program’s success rate?
According to Blomgren (et al., 2005) very little
data exists regarding the effectiveness of
stuttering modification therapy. “The Successful
Stuttering Management Program (SSMP) is an
example of a stuttering modification treatment
program with essentially no empirical evidence of
its effectiveness” (Blomgren, 2005). Obtaining
outcome measures of stuttering modification
treatment is difficult due to the success being
measured according to perception. There is no
treatment outcome data included in the SSMP
manual and there is no peer reviewed group
outcome data to support the effectiveness of the